“Will Ferrell Has Been In At Least 25 Movies Since 1997”: #4 – Superstar (1999)

Anyone with enough money can produce a movie. That doesn’t mean you should just go making movies that are terrible. But it seems that Lorne Michaels found an interesting formula. Take a hit sketch from SNL, make a feature film on the cheap, and hopefully get enough attention to break even at the box office. And even if it doesn’t break even, it’s huge publicity for SNL. This one made double the budget at the box office, like Roxbury did. I wouldn’t call that a financial success but I guess that’s not the point. Every movie is a gamble, right? Though the movie was not good, it was about exposure. Exposure for Molly Shannon, who plays the Mary Katherine Gallagher character well. But I just don’t think that’s enough for a movie. Will Ferrell plays an equally substance-less character. Nice guy but nothing to brag about. Did this give him more credibility as a movie actor? I’m not sure it did. If we look past all of the terrible parts, this movie is about being yourself. We all like to judge people like Mary Katherine Gallagher, because they are different, and they smell their armpits when they get nervous, and are terribly awkward. But she’s just looking for acceptance and kindness.